The World in 2014

Obesity

Too poor to be thin

IS IT socially permissible to criticise fat people for being fat? Probably not in these days of lobby groups and widespread obesity. Moreover, when it comes to being overweight or obese the causes and the remedies are more complex than might first appear—as The Economist's health-care correspondent points out in The World in 2013 and in her excellent special report last month in The Economist.

Nonetheless, watching a BBC "Question Time" programme last night, I was a trifle surprised that Anna Soubry, Britain's new minister for public health, found herself so isolated by audience members and fellow panelists when she dared to say that in Britain you are more likely to be fat if you are poor than if you are rich. The discussion referred to something she had earlier said in an interview with the Daily Telegraph:

When I go to my constituency, in fact when I walk around, you can almost now tell somebody’s background by their weight… Obviously, not everybody who is overweight comes from deprived backgrounds but that’s where the propensity lies.

Ms Soubry, a Conservative MP, was accused of "stigmatising the poor", which is surely an example of political correctness gone overboard—and an example, too, of Britain's sensitivity over social class.

Go to big cities anywhere in the developed world (even in figure-conscious France, where I spend much of my year) and the same phenomenon is literally visible: more poor people waddling around than is the case for their wealthier (and usually better educated) contemporaries.

It was not always thus: if you look at film footage of the civil-rights demonstrations in the American South in the 1960s, the cops are usually slim—which is hardly the case today. But in those days, of course, there were far fewer fast-food outlets. Now, they are everywhere, which leads me (and Ms Soubry), to a simple conclusion: junk food is cheap, so the poor eat junk food; ipso facto, the poor become fat. Obviously that is a bit of a generalisation, but surely there is a kernel of truth there.

What happens next? Given the economic cost of obesity, there will be plenty of government speeches in 2013 on the need to eat better, exercise more and so on. There could also be some legislation: from March 12th, thanks to Mayor Michael Bloomberg, there will be a ban on the sale in New York of oversized soft-drinks bottles. But there will also be a push-back from the fast-food industry. One shameful example is the attempt by the NAACP and the Hispanic Federation to overturn the Bloomberg ban—even though blacks and Latinos suffer disproportionately more than others from obesity-related ailments such as diabetes. But I must wryly salute Coca-Cola for its sophisticated attempt to present itself as a concerned combatant against obesity. You can see its sugary (forgive the pun) commercial here, and you should then read the biting critique by Mark Bittman, a respected food-lover. For the sake of the developing world, let's hope Mr Bittman is wrong in concluding that the fast-food industry will follow the strategy of the tobacco industry...

My mom rarely took us to McDonald's when we were kids because she didn't want to spend the money, not just because it is crap food. It is a pernicious myth of ignorance and laziness that getting your fruits and veggies has to be expensive. Even $4 a meal for fast food is not cheaper than eating very healthy at home. I also find it funny that these same people who complain about produce prices fill their carts with sausages and 24 packs of soda or bottled water.
You have to get used to shopping for produce to discern what is the best price per nutrient value-- here is what I have learned thus far: Kale and collards are very cheap and literally the healthiest foods you can eat. Also celery, carrots, lettuce, onions, and potatoes are cheap. Frozen veggies are available for a dollar a bag as well. Bagged spinach and avocados are trendy and overpriced, don't buy unless it is a significant sale.
For fruits it's best to buy what's in season or on sale. Bananas are always extremely cheap. Apples and oranges make great staples too. Frozen fruit is handy and can be even be cheaper than fresh.
The best meals to make for cheap, fast, and healthy cooking IMO are: veggie dense pastas, chili, soups, and stir frys. It's not that hard to stop believing the local gas station is the best option for dinner.

The obesity epidemic has been created by the FDA. Food poisons such as high fructose corn syrup, Aspartame( Diet soda) and Splenda is causing obesity in the USA and much of the world. this is effecting ALL people not just the poor, although the FDA garbage is in more of the poor people;s food

In the United States you can buy, food and food like "things", which are the best of the best and the worst of the worst. You can purchase "things / food" from the entire eatable spectrum. From wonderful organic foodstuffs to dreadful breakfast cereals that are made up entirely of sugar and processed carbohydrates. I am tired of people whinning about the high cost of "good" food and produce. I can make a highly nutritious meal, in bulk, for as little as 1 dollar per serving, usually 6 servings. BUT my idea of a serving and the majority of America's idea of a serving, well that is where the disconnect is. The problem in the United States IS that very few people know how to cook anymore. And even fewer people know how to cook a nutritious meal. Nutritious meaning what we know about nutrition in the year 2013. There are so many factors that are contributing to this obesity epidemic that I truly believe America is in a critical downward spiral toward self destruction. Obesity in America has become generational and once this level of nutritional ignorance has been reached, as it has, there is really nothing in place institutional wise that can slow or stop it. It just gets passed down to the next generation which worsens and then gets passed down again, on and on. Most great societies and countries erode from within, it has happened time after time and always will. But then again who am I to lecture a nation?

Too often, commentators overlook the costs without a simple price: time/effort/learning. For a single parent, for example, unhealthy choices are quicker and easier and don't require much if any skills.

Sure, it's well-known that a household can very cheaply buy "raw" foods in bulk, and then prepare meals with nothing more than that stuff. But that overlooks the need for someone (like grandma?) who can, and is WILLING to, perform the meal preparation.

We reached this point not only by optimizing for lesser price but also by optimizing for lesser intangible costs. I laugh at those who lecture about the need for the poor to cook at home and then go on to recommend very complex recipes with esoteric ingredients.

A century ago, it was expensive to eat enough to get fat. And if you were poor, you had other priorities, like a roof over your head. So the rich could be (although many were not) fat, but it was far harder for the poor to be. Also, the jobs that the poor had were more likely to be the kind that required lots of physical exertion -- which is to say, they burned off a lot of calories.
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Today, it is cheap to get enough to eat to get fat. And the poor are more likely to have jobs that require far less physical exertion.
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I do wonder, though. Long ago, the rich regarded being at least somewhat fat as attractive. Was that because it was a quick way to differentiate themselves and their class from the poor? Whereas now, putting inthe effort to stay thin is a way to differentiate yourself as rich. Hmmm...

Americans now consume an average of 134 lbs of sugar per year. If you examine the High Fructose Corn Syrup (cheap sugar) and sugar in foods and the increase of sugar consumption compared with the increase in obesity, it's clear the food industry knows what they're doing. Forget the obese, just keep the addictive sugar flowing. Sugar has been medically tied with some cancers, absolutely obesity and Diabetes and many other illnesses. It's the high-sugar and high-fat foods but the food industry in America is the most powerful lobby overall and the wealthiest industries, by far, in the country. Until the government does something with these companies the country will continue to expand. History shows people in general are lazy, reluctant to exercise or eat healthy. For this urgent crisis urgent regulations are needed, like yesterday!

"What happens next? Given the economic cost of obesity, there will be plenty of government speeches in 2013 on the need to eat better, exercise more and so on."
Or somebody could take a stand against corn subsidies that make fast food artifically cheap (not to mention absolutely awful in every way I can think of).

I never understood, even in the early eighties, how Bill Cosby could so blatantly sell his integrity for $$$ in those Coke and Jello commercials, in the process inducing many kids to go on to diabetes, obesity, and heart disease, and still retain such respect with the public as a trusted pitch man and father figure.

Once I heard the CEO of Coca Cola bragging in an interview that the Coke logo was the most recognized and powerful symbol in the history of mankind — familiar to more people than even the Christian crucifix. The power of advertising I guess. We never had Coke in the household of any generation of my family, so I have no clue what a parent could possibly be thinking when they hand a child their first glass of Coke. What are they thinking?

I confess that I do very occasionally buy a small bottle of Coke. I keep it in my car as an emergency windshield cleaner. I'm always amazed how well it cuts road grease. I can't imagine putting it inside of me.

As an Asian studying abroad in America, I would say that Ms. Soubry is completely right, at least in the US context. It can be simply explained by the cheap and rich-calorie fast food and frozen and processed food. I recommend The Economist readers to see the documentary Food Inc. to have more view on this case. On the contrary, Asian countries are not suffering from this paradox, which may result from our conventional cooking habbits (home and fresh meals).

You are so right! It has not to do with the price! Actually buying fruits and vegetables is much cheaper than purchasing junk food. In addition, the amount of the nutrients of the vegetables is extremely huge and incomparable with the junk food. Actually, we all know that the junk food has nothing more than calories.

Linking obesity to being poor has basis mainly because of access to food. Obesity is a form of malnourishment and for the poor, lack of poor access to and lack of information about healthy food, simply buy food to pacify their noisy stomachs with no regard of its health consequences.
being thin is today is fashionable as being obese during the Victorian / renaissance era was. And who is the fashionable sector? Certainly not the poor.

I think this is possibly the best commentI've ever read on this topic.
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It really is appalling how middle class journalists, celebrities, policians and so on are willing to criticise low-income people without realising at all how stressful and draining a low-income lifestyle can be.

The Paradox of Modern Health:
A century ago, the wealthy and elite were fat. And the poor were skeleton thin.
Today the wealthy and elite are thin. The poor are fat and morbidly obese.
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It is like in one century, the shortest people have now become the tallest.
And the tallest are now midgets.
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We see this reality everyday.
I have never heard a proper explanation of this phenomena.
It is like somebody pressed a game reset button.
Can this paradox make the poor rich? Or the stupid smart? Or the ugly attractive?

Although I find your comment interesting, I am not so sure that I completely agree with your thoughts on healthy foods being reasonably priced. According to several studies, unhealthy foods have only increased 30% over the past several years, whereas healthier choices have increased 100%. Many low-income families cannot afford to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables for their families and resort to using their expenses to buy the pre-packaged foods that coupons and sales address. I used to purchase a great deal of pre-packaged items for my family until I learned more about proper nutrition. As I have researched over the past 11 years and worked out with a personal trainer/nutritionist, I have found that permanently changing my lifestyle has increased my monetary spending for groceries by at least 50%. I have been fortunate enough to have lived in a middle-income household most of my life, and it has been difficult for our 4 person family to get by at times. I cannot imagine being low-income and trying to do what is right for my family and not being able to have the resources to do that. Healthy food is definitely more expensive, and this is beyond the control of us; the government has to become more involved in order to make healthier foods more accessible to those that cannot afford it.

It might be that they are too obese to get a good job. Economist Robina Hanson has said that the poor in the USA are more likely to obese but they are also more likely to be skinny and so he says that it is more likely to discrimination by employers against the obese and skinny that results in the poor being fatter.

Also to my fellow posters it is cheaper to eat healthy. Junk food and fast food are now cheap but carrots and bananas even whole grain bread are cheaper yet and do not need to be cooked.

Man (and woman) does not live by bread alone. I am talking vegetables and fruits (I am in Weight Watchers, so I am trying to eat healthy.) It costs more to eat a healthy and balanced diet. You start looking at the prices and realize the dollar menu is a hell of a lot cheaper...